Career Colleges and Vocational Schools in Quebec

Trade Schools in Quebec

Quebec's economy has undergone several major changes, and the long-dominant energy industry in Canada's largest province has given up some ground to the health care and high-tech sectors. Trade schools in Quebec not only help job seekers build essential career skills, they prepare students to do business in a French-speaking province. Recent waves of immigrants have relied on French language courses, while long-time residents are seeking training on the computer skills and business acumen to shift from old-economy industrial jobs to in-demand research and service positions. Finding work in major cities like Montreal and Quebec City now requires the deep understanding of multicultural customer service that trade schools in Quebec can best provide.

Trade schools in Quebec and the changing economy

Though long dependent on gas and oil exports, Quebec's residents have challenged themselves to champion new forms of sustainable energy. Some of the province's fastest-growing employers include biofuel and solar power research companies. Likewise, many of Canada's most exciting new opportunities have emerged in Quebec's high-tech start-up community. As in other parts of North America, Quebec has shifted many of its new jobs from the assembly line to the front office.

Statistics Canada reports that 2,613,200 full-time workers in the province earned an average hourly wage of CA$23.16 in February 2011, which was a wage increase of 2.5 percent, year over year. The Quebec government portal gives this data for 2010: The provincial gross domestic product was about CA$300 billion, with 70 percent from the service sector. Additionally, although Quebec is a province rather than a country, its economy ranked as the 50th most important in the world.